Reincarnated Villainess Does Not Want Revenge

I had dressed myself in the exquisite dress made of fine silk that Reynald had given me, but I was unsure about how to style my hair. I stood in front of the mirror, contemplating. Since the dress Reynaldo had gifted me had small rose ornaments, I thought it would be fitting to decorate my hair in the same way. Incidentally, it’s very Reynaldo-like to give a dress with roses incorporated into it.

In addition to the dress, he had also given me several accessories, so I decorated my hair with a rose hair ornament. I decided not to dwell on the thought of how much all these presents cost. If I asked, I would surely become too self-conscious to wear them.

After the ceremony, and while waiting for the ball to begin, I spent time in a private room provided for touch-ups, readjusting my hairpin and checking my makeup. But unlike the other noble ladies, who had their maids in attendance, I had come without one. Feeling somewhat idle and out of place, I decided to step out of the private room.

The invited guests are occupying their time in the nearby lounges and gardens until preparations are complete in the ballroom of the royal castle.

As I walked through the crowd of guests, trying to find my brother, someone called out to me.

It was Alberto, dressed in a grand knight’s attire.

“Alberto-sama. Are you on patrol?”

“Yes. How about you, Miss Marie…?”

“I was looking for my brother.”

I have settled on calling Alberto by his first name with the added honorifics. There was a time when I, influenced by Rosemary, called him by his given name without honorifics. However, I realized that it was inappropriate to address someone in a higher position with such informality, so I’ve been using honorifics ever since.

Alberto himself seemed to have a strong opinion on the matter, so we reached a compromise to use honorifics only in public. The same applies to Reynaldo.

And they have decided to address me as “Miss Marie” or simply by my first name. Even that alone seems strange to those around us, but I didn’t oppose it.

“If you’re looking for Lord Stanley, he was in the smoking room earlier. But before that…”

While looking somewhat hesitant, Albert gazed at me. I noticed his slightly flushed cheeks and understood what he was trying to say.

“Does it suit me?”

I lightly curtsied, gently holding the hem of my dress.

In response to my words, Alberto gave a gentle smile and replied, “Very much.”

Receiving a sincere praise from someone who is not good at social niceties, I too felt happy, and my cheeks flushed.

“Alberto-sama, you look very handsome as well. Although your usual uniform also looks nice.”

“It’s rather constricting for carrying out missions, though.”

Despite carrying a sword, the knight’s uniform, adorned with more decorations than usual, was not meant for practical purposes in battle but rather designed as a ceremonial ensemble, effectively conveying both a sense of elegance and righteousness.

Furthermore, the curious gazes directed at the Knight Commander in front of me, who is set to receive a noble title this time, seem unceasing.

Just by having this conversation, I can feel piercing gazes from both men and women directed at me.

“Marie, between the usual knight uniform and this formal attire, which one do you prefer?”

I widened my eyes in surprise at Alberto’s shy inquiry.

It was an unusual question coming from him, who seems to care little about appearance or clothing.

After observing Alberto for a while, memories of the usual him came flooding back to me.

“I think the usual uniform is still the best.”

I replied, and he smiled happily, saying, “I think so too.”

Although he looks wonderful in formal attire, I felt a sense of pride and admiration by seeing Alberto fulfilling his duties as a knight, which made him look incredibly cool.

“Ah, Lord Stanley has arrived.”

Looking in the direction of the gaze, I saw my brother approaching us after returning from the smoking room.

“Well then, I’ll see you later.”

Alberto lightly waves his hand and returns to his duties.

As my brother returned and passed by Alberto, he cast a glance at him before shifting his gaze towards me.

“You’re really amazing.”

“What do you mean, all of a sudden?”

I furrowed my brows at his sudden remark, but my brother continued on, unconcerned.

“No, it was the first time I saw the Knight Commander, who is usually a workaholic, talking while on duty. And I guess he saw that you were alone, so he stayed by your side until I came back. It’s amazing of you to make him go to such lengths.”

As he said that, I suddenly realized.

He was in charge of the security for this event, yet despite that, he still cared about me.

“And also, the gazes have been painful since earlier.”

While my brother, showing his displeasure at the continuous curious gazes directed at us, led me to the garden.

I watched Alberto from a distance as he carried out his duties.